Military-University Encounters And the Educational Plans Of Israeli Officers

Abstract

This article examines the interrelationship between military and educational institutions, focusing on the issue of personnel mobility from a military to an educational framework. To provide training in basic management skills to recently promoted lieutenant squadron commanders, the Israeli Air Force sponsors two-week courses in management related subjects at Tel Aviv University. The study on which this article is based sought to determine the effects of these courses on the officers' further educational plans. Precourse and postcourse questionnaires were administered to 51 officers who participated in recent courses. The data were analyzed by a path model, which showed a strong direct effect of course evaluation on educational plans reinforcement. The latter variable was predicted by demographic and social background, precourse educational plans, and course evaluation. The findings indicate that, in addition to its main manifest function, the course also fulfilled the latent function of reinforcing the educational plans of those officers who found the course a rewarding experience. The possible implications of this effect for both the officer and the military is discussed vis-ai-vis the "occupational military" model.